Jeep Issues First Grand Wagoneer Teasers Ahead of Debut

Jeep Grand Wagoneer headlight, grille, seat and sound system are the first shared pieces of the puzzle.

The Jeep Facebook page posted this morning, announcing that the new Wagoneer will make its formal debut on March 11 at 12pm Eastern Standard Time. That post began with the phrase “Family adventure evolves” and it includes four closely-cropped images of what the post states is a “preproduction model”. However, upon closer inspection, we wonder if these images show a preproduction Jeep Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer in near-production form, as there are some clear differences from the gorgeous concept vehicle.

There are four pictures of this preproduction Jeep, showing the headlight and grille, a seat, a small speaker and a panel with the Grand Wagoneer logo. The seat, speaker and branded panel don’t really reveal anything, but the headlight image showcases a handful of key differences from the 2020 concept. Here is look at those images and the differences compared to the concept.

Seat, Speaker and Model Logo

First, we will talk about the images that don’t seem to reveal any key points of the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer in production form. The seat is wrapped in quilted leather, with small holes that we expect are for the cooled seat function, along with dark orange contrasting stitching. With the Grand Wagoneer hitting the market as the ultimate American luxury SUV, these plush seats make sense, looking a great deal like the seats in the concept.

Next, we get a look at one of the McIntosh speakers that we believe will be mounted in the dash cap area, allowing the brand name of the company to be clearly seen from the front seats. The Grand Wagoneer will be the first vehicle to feature a speaker system from McIntosh, a company known best for their high quality home sound systems. The Jeep brand has been clear from the time when the Grand Wagoneer Concept was introduced that we could expect to see and hear a stunning McIntosh speaker system in the production vehicle, so this comes as no surprise.

At first glance, this image of a panel appeared to be the scuff plate that you step on or over to get into the vehicle, but it looks like there might be leather just below it. If that is the case, we would guess that this is part of the dashboard, but we don’t know for sure. In any case, it clearly shows the Grand Wagoneer name, setting the debate as to whether we are looking at the Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer.

Grand Wagoneer Headlight and Grille

The most important image in this quartet is the one showing the headlight and a portion of the grille of the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer. At a quick glance, it may look just like the concept, and it is very similar, but there are some key differences.

The most significant difference, and the easiest to spot, is the difference in the LED trim lighting of the concept and this preproduction vehicle. The concept had an LED accent light bar that runs across the top of the grille, through the upper portion of the headlights, as shown below. On the other hand, the preproduction front end shown at the top of this piece does not have the LED lighting over the grille. There also doesn’t appear to be any LED trim running top-to-bottom between each of the familiar Jeep grille slots and it does not look like the Wagoneer logo atop the grille lights up. Fortunately, one of the images included with the debut of the concept included a similar close-up shot of the driver’s side headlight, allowing us to easily compare the two, side-by-side.

In addition to the LED trim lighting being different, the headlights of the preproduction model themselves differ from the Grand Wagoneer Concept. The actual lighting elements of the preproduction model are larger and moved down a bit, while the zig-zag design that underlined the concept headlights has been removed.

Finally, the grille of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept had chrome bars that run up-and-down within each of the seven slots, but the preproduction image shows different “filler” in those slots. Also, the upper portion of the grille in the preproduction image is sunken-in under the leading edge of the hood a bit, whereas the concept grille was flush to the edge of the hood.

Based on this image, it looks as though the production version of the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will look a great deal like the concept. It is a bummer to see that some of the cool lighting effects of the concept didn’t make it to production, but it still looks like a gorgeous luxury SUV.

We will know more about the production Jeep Grand Wagoneer on March 11, when the company holds their online introduction event.

Photos: Jeep 

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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